Twenty-two time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal fell 7-5, 6-4 to Czech Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round of the Madrid Open on Tuesday, marking his final appearance at a tournament he has won five times.
In just over two hours, a feisty Lehecka thwarted Nadal’s hopes of reaching his 100th Masters 1000 quarterfinal after a fairytale run in only his second tournament since January as the Spaniard struggled with injury.
Nadal has said he expects to retire after the 2024 season.
“I’m happy. It was a very special week for me, very positive in every way. I was able to play again on a court that has given me a lot, also on an emotional level,” the 37-year-old Nadal said in an on-court interview in front of an emotional crowd.
“It has been unforgettable, and I can only say ‘thank you’. It has been an incredible journey. It’s very difficult, but life and my body have been sending signals to me for a long time.
“I have been fortunate to turn my passion into my job. I am privileged,” he said before organisers honoured him with a trophy and unfurled banners paying tribute to his five Madrid titles.
With the score level at 5-5 in the first set, 30th seed Lehecka broke serve and then held his own to take the lead.
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Breaking again in the first game of the second set, the 22-year-old secured the win to reach the quarter-finals, where he will face Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev on Thursday.
“It’s amazing. For me to share the court with such a legendary player is a dream come true. I always wished to have this happen. I’m very grateful to achieve such a big moment,” Lehecka said.
“All the best to Rafa. It’s kind of bittersweet to have such a nice win in front of all these people cheering for him. The energy was amazing, it was like I was in another universe. This was something I’ve never experienced before in my life on a tennis court.”
Alcaraz reaches quarters
Earlier, the player who Spanish fans hope will take over Nadal’s reign, Carlos Alcaraz, needed nearly three hours to beat Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4).
Both Spaniards are coming off injuries and are trying to get back in shape ahead of next month’s French Open. The 20-year-old Alcaraz missed tournaments in Monte Carlo and Barcelona. Nadal was coming off two matches in Barcelona after not playing competitively in nearly three months.
He arrived in Madrid saying he wasn’t fully fit and was worried about his condition, but in the end he won three consecutive matches without showing significant physical limitations.
“Just two days before I left for Barcelona I really didn’t know if I was going to be able to play again in an official match,” Nadal said, “and in the end I’ve played two weeks.”
The second-seeded Alcaraz was coming off two comfortable victories in Madrid but struggled on Tuesday. He squandered four match points against the 24th-ranked Struff while serving at 5-3 but converted on his first opportunity in the deciding tiebreaker at the Caja Magica center court.
“I wasn’t at my best physically toward the end of the match, but I’m happy that in the end I found my game,” Alcaraz said. “I fought for every ball and didn’t let down despite some difficult moments when things didn’t go my way.”
Alcaraz is trying to become the first player to win three straight Madrid Open titles. He also needed three sets to beat Struff in last year’s final. The world No. 3 will next face seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev at the clay-court tournament.
(With inputs from AP)
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